By KAYLEE JO NEELEY, Student Reporter
The Lady Rangers soccer team on Sept. 18 won its fifth straight game before going into conference play.
After beating Oklahoma Christian 2-1, the Rangers will head into their first conference game on Sept. 28.
Head coach Alex Piekarski said he expected a tough game on the 18th, and he said he was interested to see how the Rangers performed before moving into the regular conference season.
“We have become a really competitive team that will give their all for the whole 90 minutes,” Piekarski said.
During the game against Oklahoma Christian, the Rangers prevented the Eagles from scoring in the first half. In the second half, the Rangers maintained a solid defensive pace. The Rangers’ defense continued to execute the job of keeping the game and the ball in their hands.
“So far this year, we have had great team depth and have done a great job pushing through during the second half,” Piekarski said. “We have worn teams down and have been able to rotate more players.”
The Rangers are going into the regular conference play with a record of 5-1, with a winning streak compared to their losing streak last year.
“This year, we are a lot closer and are ready to work harder for each other rather than just ourselves,” said Caitlyn Bidart, the super senior defender from Gardnerville, Nevada. “Also, I feel like an important part of the change this year is how the group of seniors came in this year and the expectations we wanted to change from last year.”
The Rangers are ranked first out of the seven teams in the GAC women’s soccer standings as of Sept. 17.
“I think overall the positive attitudes and our work ethic has been a lot better this year, and I believe our chemistry with each other on the field is a recipe for success,” said Reagan Allen, a senior goalkeeper and captain.
After continuing their winning streak on the 18th, the Rangers say they are keeping their expectations high going into conference play.
“Team-wise, I think the best thing that we can do moving forward is working for each other and taking it day by day, one game at a time and hopefully go undefeated or at least make the playoffs,” Bidart said.
Piekarski said the senior class this year could be the most important change for the season.
“I think our senior class, in general, has been great in terms of leadership,” Piekarski said. “Caitlyn Bidart, Reagan Allen and Reilly Marks, who are our three captains, have done a great job leading the younger girls throughout the past few games and during practice.”
Piekarski said he believes the team will continue to see growth and improve on every level during the season.
“Our returners have continued to grow in all areas, and we have added some talented players and have done a really good job of jelling and welcoming our new players,” Piekarski said.